SAPU temporarily suspends 10 111 strike

The South African Poling Union (SAPU) on Friday, announced the temporary suspension of the 10111 call centre strike that was expected to take place over the weekend.

SAPU general secretary Oscar Skommere said the strike was temporarily suspended to give the negotiations, led by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), a chance.

“As a responsible and progressive union we have decided to temporarily suspend our industrial action for the benefit of the public we serve. The CCMA initiative must be given a chance to unfold without any undue pressure,” Skommere said.

“SAPU will attend the Monday CCMA meeting with an open mind. The suspension of the strike must not be viewed by management as a way of us giving in to their arrogance.”

He said that the union was communicating with their members to return to their posts on Saturday morning.

“The mediation process led by the CCMA is a positive step towards finding a lasting solution to this problem that we have been trying to solve with the [South African Police Services] SAPS management for the past four years.”

He said the union would update members and the public about any new developments.

The 24-hour crime reporting 10111 call centre deals with complaints by the public.

Announcing the strike, Sapu said its members were among the lowest paid call center workers. The union said the strike was as a result of deadlocked negotiations with the employer.